Policymakers such as Ng don't want to be in the room when a Russian speaks.
On May 5, Canada's trade minister, Mary Ng, met with the U.S. trade representative, Katherine Tai.
Blair Gable took this photo.
The opening remarks of Russia's minister for economic development, Maxim Reshetnikov, were set to be delivered at the Apec meeting of trade ministers on the weekend in Thailand.
As Canada's trade minister, it was important that we send a message, but it was also an opportunity to encourage my colleagues to stand up for the rules-based trading system.
The shift in global co-operation was demonstrated by the protest. For years, officials from democratic countries such as Canada and Australia, along with fellow members of international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the G20, would participate in meetings regardless. Now, policymakers such as Ng don't want to be in the room when a Russian speaks. The Bank of Canada Governor and the Finance Minister boycotted the G20 meeting in April.
The direction of global trade could be affected by that. The US treasury secretary is suggesting that American trade policy will prioritize political and security concerns. The government of Prime Minister Trudeau is on board. It would be crucial to re-build and re-imagine trade partnerships in the post-COVID world, according to an address to the APEC ministers.
It was really important that we send a message, but it was also an opportunity to encourage my colleagues to stand up for the rules-based trading system
Mary Ng
Canada will join the Digital Economy Partnership agreement, which seeks to facilitate co-operation on digital trade, after she loosened ties with Russia. The founding members are New Zealand, Chile and Singapore.
It's important because we need to protect our customers and we need to protect our consumers.
The creation of a Canadian Trade Gateway in Southeast Asia is the latest example of the Trudeau government attempting to use its network of trade officers to remove some of the friction from international commerce. As relations with China have become more difficult, smaller Asian countries have emerged as important targets. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a 10-member trade bloc that includes Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
To figure out what sort of gateway Canadian exporters, investors and businesses will need to facilitate their exploration of opportunities in Asia, she will be conducting a design study.
New ties are being established by the U.S. Questions were raised about whether Canada had been snubbed after it was left out of the new agreement. According to the University of Toronto, the US is not bringing Canada on board on a lot of agreements.
Canada is a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, so she doesn't see it as a disadvantage.
The U.S. and Canada both have Asian strategies that are very complimentary.
Email: mcoulton@postmedia.com
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